Freak Encyclopedia
by Groan of Anger
Summary: [AU] "Think of it like a game - if you talk to someone real, you get ten points. If you talk to thin air, you get thrown in the loonie house." After a series of treatments, Chloe is released to the world of normalcy. However, AC Academy digs out a part of her past that she keeps trying to forget, with the help of certain academy attendants hiding secrets as dark as Chloe's.
1. Scene One

**A/n: This is a first fanfiction in a while (like, a little over a year?) and I'm a bit rusty, but I re-read the Darkest Powers series and I just felt so inspired to come into fanfiction again. So, I wrote this story, with two other chapters already underway. **

**Small note: I don't see this story being a very romance centered one, even though it might have a little romance. Just a head's up for anyone looking for Chlerek fluff. **

**Disclaimer: Only the plot idea is mine, everything else belongs to Kelley Armstrong. **

**Enjoy, friends :D **

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SCENE ONE, ACT ONE: HEROIN sits in car. THE STUDENTS in front of the school slowly turn to UNDEAD CREATURES. HEROIN turns to grab the gun from her bag. UNDEAD doesn't detect her yet. HEROIN slides out of car, walks towards school yard. UNDEAD CREATURES notices – attacks. HEROIN shoots – kills few UNDEAD…

The script in Chloe's mind helped to pull her attention away from her sweaty hands and her quick beating heart. Still, the distraction was temporary as her eyes slid to the students that continued to crowd the school yard, greeting each other with loud and excited voices that could be heard from the closed windows of her cab.

It was a rare sight for Chloe to see – students her age walking around freely, never needing to look over their shoulders in fear that their actions were about to be held against them. They were talking with each other the same way – freely, without being afraid that they were two seconds from their death.

Had Lyle House really been that terrible? Maybe, but Chloe buried those memories. Buried them well enough that some were just a flicker of colors in her mind, or just flashes of white light against her closed eyes –

Chloe focused her attention back to the school yard, where the density of people started to thin out as 8:30 a.m. inched closer. Finally, when only a handful of students remained, Chloe took a deep breath to calm her still shaking hands.

"Thanks Milos," Chloe stepped out of the taxi and crossed the street, gripping the strap of her bag.

The cold air pricked Chloe through the navy sweater of her uniform; she pulled her larger jacket around herself. It had rained earlier that day, the smell of wet ground still lingering around her.

The school was shrouded in the aftermath of the rain, the first set of staircase cold under Chloe's shoe clad feet. She stepped up her eyes taking in the yard of the school, which looked larger in close proximity. The red and yellow leaves of fall scattered around over the grass and the concrete path – the path led to the large school building. There were a few seating arrangements of benches, also wet with rain and leaves.

There were a few more groups than Chloe had seen from the car, but none of the students bothered to look at her, to her relief. The only time someone acknowledged her presence was when a blonde girl stepped back and almost bumped into Chloe. The girl then proceeded to apologize three times.

"I-I-it's OK," Chloe muttered, slowly walking forward. She had an urge to turn back and look at the girl, but held herself back to the best of her power. There was no need to look back, anyways, since she felt the warmth coming from the girl, which should've been proof enough. Hallucinations never felt warm – always very, very cold.

But did she imagine it? Chloe couldn't help herself as she looked back, sighing in relief when she saw the blonde girl laughing along with the rest of group. She then said something to another person, which caused them to burst into laughter, again.

Chloe was satisfied with what she saw. She took a step away from the group, about to turn around, when she noticed a dark haired girl staring at her, her eyes boring into Chloe with enough intensity to make the hairs on the back of Chloe's neck stand at an end.

She gripped her bag strap tighter. The girl was one step behind the group, looking like more of an observer rather than an active participant. No one spoke to her, no one looked at; no one other than Chloe, anyways.

She didn't know what to do, she forgot how to move. Her frozen frame stood there and kept staring at the girl, hoping that her assumptions were wrong.

It was the dark haired girl that broke eye contact. She raised an eyebrow at Chloe, and slid into the group.

Chloe turned around and continued to walk, her cheeks burning. She had to ignore the urge to look back at the girl, to make sure that someone was talking to her.

The girl was real. Chloe knew she was real, just as the blonde girl was. It comforted the tension at the back of her neck, however, to look back and see the girl lightly hit another person on the shoulder. Both of them smiled and continued to talk to each other. Eventually, they joined the group in a larger conversation.

Chloe sighed again. Her shoulders fell. She continued to walk towards the staircase. Her breathing grew steadier as she put more space between herself and the girl.

The rest of the school yard was almost empty, most students already inside the building. Only a small group of students stood by the large staircase. As Chloe got closer towards them, she heard the loud laughter.

She didn't bother to look at them for too long. They were real. She kept telling herself that they were real, her medicine and the voices of Lyle House kept telling her that they were real. She didn't need to confront them to know that they were real.

Chloe looked down as she continued to walk, forcing her to avoid looking at the group. She sped up as well, reaching the first step of the stairs right beside the group in a matter of seconds. She kept her gaze down.

By the time she was on her second step, there was another laugh that forced Chloe to look up at them. She didn't get an opportunity to actually see them too well before someone came slamming into her. She was pushed to the ground, her head hitting the hard concrete of the stairs as everything at the back of her eyelids turned black.

SCENE TWO, ACT ONE: One UNDEAD attacks HEROIN. HEROIN is turning into UNDEAD.

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**Oh, hello there. You've made it to the end of the story. For that, you get a complimentary hug from me. **

**Thank you so much for reading the prologue! Even if you didn't like it, thank you for being with us on this good day :) **

**I have to ask for some feedback, though - would you guys prefer I italicize or bold the scripts part? I was very unsure about what to do about it... **

**Again, thank you very much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, feel free to review, favorite, follow, or not. Stay tuned to the next chapter, which should be up soon. **

**\- DatingSite/ DS**


	2. Scene Two

**... I've been away long enough for a pigeon dating simulator to be released. I wish I had a better excuse than the fact that I rewrote this chapter many times because I couldn't decide on a good enough chapter. **

**Anyways, thank you guys for sticking around and reading this story. It's 2,075 words, created from my sweat and tears. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own DP or the characters from the books. **

**Enjoy ~**

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After the concussion that left her bed ridden for only a day, Chloe was reluctant to return to Andrew Cotton Academy, her fears centering on anyone attacking her again. Even Steve Saunders – her Father – wanted her to apply to a different school, but her aunt Lauren had objected furiously.

Lauren had went over and under to bring Chloe back to the academy, spending hours upon hours convincing Chloe's Father that what happened was a mere mistake that won't happen again. She went as far as to arrange a meeting with the principal and other heads of the school, who also promised that Chloe would be safe from now on, and that they had taken measures to make sure the incident didn't repeat.

Chloe's Father hesitantly agreed, under the term that if something did happen again, Chloe would be pulled out instantly. Chloe, although fearing the worst, agreed, seeing the academy as a step up from the Lyle House.

As her second first day approached, however, she felt doubtful in her decision. The day didn't start with any melancholic events that would've served as a sign for her, but the nervous knot at the pit of her stomach was discouraging enough.

"Chloe, you haven't touched your food,"

Lauren must've sensed Chloe's unease. She brought her out to a restaurant before school, where Chloe was served a stack of pancakes that she only poked at, the sweet smell of the syrup and the batter hitting the back of her nose in an uneasy way.

"I'm not that hungry," Chloe replied, sipping from her glass of orange juice. She pushed her plate away slightly, looking over her Aunt's shoulder out on to the street, where morning joggers and dog walkers were passing by.

The restaurant was a small one, situated in a hidden road away from the morning rush of Rochester, which made it a suitable place to have a breakfast with minimal noise. A few others were seated about the room, engrossed in their own conversations or newspapers, mostly ignoring each other.

Chloe's attention fell on a woman, seated at the table farthest across from herself, her hair bobbed and hidden under a hat that fell over her forehead. Chloe could see the pale skin and the bright red lips, which moved rhythmically as she chewed her scone –

"Chloe, you're better now,"

Chloe jumped at Lauren's voice. She turned her attention back to the stack of pancakes sitting in front of her. Her Aunt knew her gestures well enough now to guess when she was thinking or what she was about to think.

"I know," Chloe sighed, "but… I don't know,"

"It takes time," Lauren said. She reached over and put her hand over Chloe's, "But just know that things aren't like they were before,"

Chloe nodded. She took a hesitant bite out of her pancakes, swallowing painfully as the taste hit her tongue.

"I never really liked pancakes," Chloe muttered, "they don't taste right,"

Lauren knit her brows together. "Then why did you order it?"

Chloe shrugged.

"Why don't you order something -"

"It's alright," Chloe interrupted, "I have an energy bar,"

Her gaze shifted back to the woman with the red lips. She stood out in the diner full of people in black blazers, all of whom were busy finishing the last piece of toast off their plates. The woman, on the other hand, sat with her back to her chair and her focus on her book, drinking from her cup occasionally.

"… and it's very important that you get enough food,"

"I'm sorry?" Chloe looked back at her Aunt and the waitress that was standing beside their table.

"What would you like, Chloe?" Lauren asked. Chloe looked at her watch, and then gathered her bag.

"I would like to go to school on time," Chloe said, "It's already 8:20 – "

"I'd rather have you late for class than passing out,"

"I won't," Chloe stood up from her seat. She smiled to the waitress and said that they wouldn't need anything.

"Chloe – "

"It's okay, Aunt Lauren, " Chloe said, "I'll just buy something for lunch,"

Lauren sighed. She told Chloe to wait by the car as she paid for the breakfast.

Chloe was about to step out of the door when she looked back at the red-lipped woman, who had stood up and grabbed her belongings as well. She came towards the door while Chloe stared at her.

Time slowed down as Chloe continued to watch, her heart thudding against her chest and ringing her ears. The woman looked up at her with slanted blue eyes and smiled, which in turn caused Chloe's hands to start shaking.

"Excuse me," The woman stepped out, leaving behind a warm trail. Slowly, Chloe released her death grip on the door handle and pushed them into her jacket pocket.

She didn't know what she expected, but it wasn't anything like what occurred. What mattered to her, however, was that no one had seen her staring at thin air. She sighed again, relieved that she hadn't spoken to the woman.

Chloe walked to the car with Lauren, silent their entire ride to the academy.

(-)

Chloe stepped on the school grounds carefully. The area looked different from when it was populated; everything stood out more. She had never noticed before, for example, that the tree branches hung low, like draped fingers of a hand that could shelter students underneath its carful sways.

She had encountered the dark haired girl under one of the trees a few days beforehand. The intense gaze and arrogant roll of her eyes had remained fresh in Chloe's mind, and would send involuntary shivers down her spine. She knew very well that the girl was real, but convincing herself of the fact was not easy.

Slowly, she took her gaze off the tree and returned to her past path towards the school. She knew that she was bound to see the girl again when they were sharing a school building and all the other commodities that came with it; the event would be inevitable.

Cold prickles stung the back of Chloe's head simply thinking about potential encounters. She had grown accustomed to them, and accepted it as a side effect of her medication, as explained by the psychologist at the Lyle House, Ms. Gill. Still, the sting took Chloe by surprise and she had to stop in her path for a second, rubbing the dull pain at her temple.

The shrill cry of the school bell didn't help in soothing the pain. Chloe shook her head a bit, moved forward, and rushed through the path. Soon, she was climbing up the stairs to the building and entering a crowded hall. Large blurs of blue and white rushed in front of her eyes as she looked for a gap to squeeze through.

She managed to cross over to the side where the office was, and she barely slid into the room as the crowds of students practically ran around, trying to scurry to their classes.

The office was created inside a white walled room with minimal sunlight streaming in through the windows at a cubicle area in the back. The rest was lit by white lights hanging from the ceilings, illuminating the room for the middle aged workers in office suits, clicking away robotically at their key boards. None of them looked up to acknowledge each other; their eyes were glued to their own work, which led to an uneasy silence in the office.

Chloe gripped the strap of her bag tighter and walked towards the desk closer to her.

"Hello – "

"Chloe Saunders," The woman on the desk – Ms. Bui, according to the name seal on her desk – looked up at Chloe with sunken in eyes. The blood in Chloe's body ran cold, "We've been waiting for you,"

"O-o-oh,"

"How is your head?" Her voice was monotone. It took Chloe a second to understand what she was asking about before her forehead throbbed a bit, and she replied.

"G-good "

"It should be getting better," Ms. Bui cut Chloe off, "you have a lot of catching up to do,"

Chloe gulped. She nodded her head slowly while the secretary shuffled around, gathering papers. Some time passed, and Chloe was about to ask Ms. Bui about her schedule when the woman passed her the stack of papers and a pen.

"You will need to fill out these papers and sign… here… here… and here," Ms. Bui motioned to empty spaces around the paper. "I will just go get your schedule,"

She walked away with a large folder in hand while Chloe took a seat at the waiting area. She kept looking up towards Ms. Bui every few minutes while the secretary walked back to her desk and continued with her work, in the same robotic fashion as the others in the room.

SCENE FOUR, ACT ONE: HEROIN stuck in room with UNDEADS. HEROIN tries to work without waking the UNDEADS. Moaning comes from left corner. HEROIN looks up – sees UNDEAD-ONE waking up. HEROIN grabs closest weapon and attempts to attack UNDEAD-ONE.

Chloe shook her head to clear her thoughts when she noticed the empty paper in front of her. She had sat there for a while, too busy in her own mind to pay attention to the questions she needed to answer. Sighing, she started to scratch letters onto the papers.

There was a shift in the air that slipped Chloe's detection, initially, during which time she was biting her lips and trying to remember the address of her new apartment. The numbers and letter were escaping her memory, all while a sting started to itch softly at the back of Chloe's neck.

She rubbed it absentmindedly, filling out more of the paper with her other hand. She then pulled her sweater tighter around her when the temperature of the office dropped slightly. Chloe, again, failed to notice the difference enough to let it bother her. She continued on filling in the last page.

Chloe felt another sting of pain at the back of her neck as she rose up from her seat with the papers in hand. She handed them back to Ms. Bui while rubbing the spot with her fingers, dropping her head from side to side to stretch her neck.

Ms. Bui looked up at the papers, but not at Chloe. She flipped through them, and then typed something into her computer.

"Here is your schedule," Chloe reached out her hand and grabbed the slip of paper. She was barely looking over it when her shoulders tensed, and a needle like sensation started stinging the back of her neck. She flinched and hissed, grabbing the spot with her free hand.

"Are you alright?" Ms. Bui stood up from her seat, concern lacing her voice.

"F-f-fine," Chloe stepped back, shaking her head a little, "Just –"

She stopped, feeling a cold air brush past her. Chloe looked back, hoping to see the root of the problem, but all she saw was a blonde boy standing in the doorway of the office. He was wearing the same navy and white uniform as the other students, but his hair was sticking up. The collar of his shirt was wrinkled, and one of his shoelaces was coming undone – he stood out among the pristinely groomed students that inhabited the academy.

As he glanced at Chloe, the boy's smile faltered for a moment. Chloe, herself, felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand at an end as she continued to look at him, and her hand shook the slightest.

The boy blinked a few times, and forced back a smile. He stepped towards where Chloe was standing, turning back to look at the secretary quickly. Chloe stepped a little away from his proximity, trying to distance herself from… the cold emitting from him.

"Hi Ms. Bui – "

Ms. Bui reached under her desk and pulled out a dark blue pouch. She handed it to the boy quickly, and whispered something to him.

He nodded, and turned around to leave the room. Before he did leave, he smiled towards Chloe, and reached out a hand.

"I'm Simon," Chloe looked at his hand for a spare second before reaching out her own, slowly.

"I'm C-C-C – "

"Chloe, I know," Chloe felt her shoulders tense again as Simon cut her off, "I was the one that fell on you,"

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**Suspense? Anti-climatic? Let me know in the reviews!**

**I hope you guys enjoyed it! I promise that the next chapter will be a little more progressive than this one :D  
**

**Thanks guys for reading my story and for your support! I'll see you soon, **

**\- DatingSite **


	3. Scene Three

**OK, yeah, I know it's been one year and two months, but I have a life, ok? Give me a break, jeez. **

**On a serious note: thank you to whoever is reading this for sticking around. I'm doing NaNoWriMo at the moment and trying to finish this story up, so I expect that I'll have most of the chapters done by this month, and uploads will be semi-frequent (there should be a new chapter next week). **

**Again, thank you to anyone who is still reading this. You are kinda, sorta cool. **

* * *

Chloe had enough time to imagine the person that fell on her while she was recovering from her concussion. Her attacker was large – tall enough to cast shadows over her with a build that could crush her, had their weight completely fallen on her. Other than that, they would be rude, staring her down the next time they would see her, speaking to her in a bitter tone to emulate the disgust they had for her for causing them trouble.

Instead, Simon continued to smile at her, and Chloe could see the smile properly without having to crane her neck up. He wasn't large enough to crush her, no matter how much weight he had pushed on her.

And yet, despite knowing that Simon served as little danger, Chloe still felt cold all over.

His smile was beginning to falter when Chloe realized that she'd been gawking. She swallowed, trying to rid of the dryness in her mouth.

"I-I-I- uh – " I what? Chloe didn't know. Instead, she just nodded her head and hoped that Simon would turn around soon.

"I guess I should apologize for that," Simon fixed his smile, "I am very sorry about hurting you,"

"It's f-fine," Chloe replied, gently grinding her teeth together to keep herself from shivering. She made herself smile before looking away from Simon, pretending to engross herself in her schedule. Her hope was that he would find a reason to leave the room, and that she could continue with her own classes.

She almost sighed in relief when she heard Simon's shuffling. Her shoulders loosened when Ms. Bui spoke up.

"Simon, you should return to your class," She said.

"Right," Simon replied, "It was nice to meet you, Chloe,"

"Nice to m-meet you too," Chloe looked up at Simon one last time, and flashed him a smile of her own. He thanked Ms. Bui, and stepped out of the room, pushing both of his hands into his pockets.

And finally, Chloe released her tight grip on the piece of paper. Her shoulders fell, her breath steadied, and the cold prickling on the back of her neck started to subside as Simon walked farther and farther away from her. She watched his back, and then continued to stare at the space where he had once stood. Only small droplets of his icy presence hung around, a bitter memory.

Medications. It was always her medications that caused the cold flashes.

Chloe turned back towards Ms. Bui, who instructed her to her classes quietly. Throughout their exchange, Chloe kept silent, only replying with gentle nods of her head. Eventually, Ms. Bui finished talking. Goodbyes were exchanged, and Chloe stepped out of the office with her schedule in her clammy hands.

Her first class, Human Anatomy, was on the second floor, which she found after some complication. By the time she arrived, the class was more than halfway through their lecture. Chloe hastily gave an explanation to her teacher, and sat alone in the back, where she tried to write down some of the notes she could capture.

Her other two classes went by in pain. Through Beginner French, Chloe tried to look like she belonged in the hoard of other students, all of whom were much too skilled to be in a beginner language class. There was some comfort in English Literature, but the students were almost done the essay that was due next week, and Chloe had to rush herself in trying to find a topic.

Lunch was her salvation. Chloe sprung to her feet as soon as the bell rung, running off before the teacher was able to stop her. She found her way to the cafeteria through following the hordes of students who were rushing towards one direction.

The cafeteria was a spacious room, with round table seating students of up to eight. Chloe grabbed a plate of spaghetti quickly, looking around the space for an unoccupied table with little luck, since every one of them were taken up by one or two students, who guarded it before others arrived.

Chloe looked towards other options, like the field outside. Compared to the cafeteria's sombre setting of beige walls and the low hum of conversation, the glass doors implanted on the sides led a way to a sunny noon with green grass. She could see the scatter of a few benches under the shades of the trees that no one was occupying, so Chloe walked towards those gates.

Stepping outside was a mistake that Chloe hadn't contemplated. The cold sunlight was biting through her thin sweater, and her hands started to freeze as they held on to her plate. She stopped in the middle of her path, and looked back towards the crowded cafeteria. Even from the distance, she could hear the humming get louder, and the idea of returning to place overcrowding with people seemed less favourable than sitting in the cold.

The bench under the tree, made completely out of metal, was colder than the air. Somehow, Chloe managed to take one or two bites out of the steaming pile of her food, which, itself, was beginning to frost over. Shivers were running rampant through her, so the prickling at the back of her neck was not detected. Not until Chloe looked up to see Simon, when her body started to grow colder than the minutes leading up to his appearance.

Chloe reflected on the idea of walking away; maybe Simon wouldn't notice her. However, as he got closer, Chloe noticed that Simon was smiling at her, bringing one hand from his tray to wave at her. The fork she held in her dropped into her plate when her hands to quiver. The cold needles were finally becoming stronger than the weather.

She brought up her shaking hand and waved back at Simon.

He sat down opposite to her with a "hey", keeping a strong grip on her eyes with his own. She stared back at him, intending her action to appear as interest. The cold pricks pursued.

"How do you like the school so far?" Simon picked up a slice of his pizza – a food option that Chloe hadn't noticed while she was in the cafeteria.

"I-I-It's g-good," Chloe mumbled her response, keeping her eyes on Simon.

"That's awesome," Simon beamed at her through a bite of his pizza, "What classes do you have?"

Chloe quickly listed her courses, stuttering between every few words. Her body started to shake as the seconds rolled past, growing more and more noticeable with each passing second.

Occasionally, Chloe would divert her gaze from Simon to their surroundings as a means of trying to find an escape. Simon didn't notice, or pretended not to, and continued to talk. Sometimes, he would say something that made Chloe chuckle, but she was quick to pick up the pieces and keep herself on guard.

She hadn't touched her food. By the time Simon was nearing the crust of his second slice, Chloe's hands were shaking uncontrollably, and she had them clasped on her lap to avoid catching Simon's attention. Even if they weren't shaking, Chloe's throat felt too contracted to swallow anything.

So, instead, she sat as still as could, shivering from the chill and her medications.

"Chloe, are you OK?" She hadn't been paying attention to whatever Simon had been talking about, but his voice caught her attention again. She nodded meekly, not trusting her voice; her throat hurt too much.

"Are you cold?" Simon continued, "You're shivering a lot –"

"I-I-I am pretty cold," Chloe voice cracked, "I think I'll j-j-just head towards cl-class,"

Chloe grabbed her plate, with some difficulty, and rose up from her seat. As she turned around to move towards the building, Simon jumped up in front of her, causing her to drop the plate.

"Shit," Chloe murmured under her breath as she picked up the plate, which had topped over and spilled its content onto the ground. Simon swore as well, apologizing as he helped Chloe with scooping up the utensils.

"I am so sorr – "

"It's fine," Chloe could feel agitation claw at her. She really should've eaten something while she had the chance in the morning, as she regretted now due to her grumbling stomach. Whether or not they had anything else in the cafeteria was a question she didn't want to ask, and whether or not she had the time to go back and grab something – no. She would have to find her next class and hope that she wouldn't be late. It was already too late to eat anything but her protein bar.

"I-I'll see you later, Simon,"

"Yeah, you too," Simon beamed at her again. She forced a smile on her face, releasing her anger by gripping her plate tightly under her fingers.

When Chloe stepped around Simon to walk towards the cafeteria, he followed with his own tray in hand. She avoided glancing at him, afraid that it would be interpreted as a sign of interest towards whatever he wanted from her.

It wasn't long before Simon began to talk, and Chloe grabbed hold of her plate tighter. The anger that resonated within her a few seconds ago had subsided, leaving her naked enough to feel the tormenting throbbing on the back of her neck. She tried her best to answer the questions that Simon occasionally threw at her carefully so that he would have no conversation he could steer.

"Did you like your old school?"

"No."

"That's too bad. Where did you go?"

"You've never heard of it."

Simon chuckled. "You should tell me, then I'll have heard of it,"

"I-I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh, sorry."

Chloe hoped to slip into the crowd of the cafeteria when they entered the room, but most of the students were sitting down or already gone. To her dismay, Simon followed Chloe all the way to the area designated for the dirty utensils, where he continued his attempt at a conversation.

"Simon, I'd love to stay and talk," Chloe interrupted another one of Simon's questions, "b-b-but I need to find my class,"

"Oh, hey, maybe I can show you – "

"N-no, I can find it myself – "

"There you are, brother,"

Chloe thought that Simon's presence had made her feel uncomfortable, but it was nothing compared to the shrill string of pain that sliced through the back of her neck when she heard the voice. She wanted to cringe, to curl up and disappear from the world, but the lack of privacy in the crowded room gave her only the opportunity to flinch where she was standing. She gulped down the yelp of pain attempting to escape her lips.

The voice came from behind her. Chloe had turned around when she felt the girl brush past her, situating herself between Simon and Chloe, the latter of which stood frozen in her spot as she stared at the back of the girl's black hair. Chloe felt her hands shake at her sides. There was an uneasy kicking at the pit of her stomach, and she felt a lurching in her throat.

"Jesus, where were you?" The girl bombarded Simon, "I've been trying to find you for like, the entire lunch…"

The girl continued with her rant. Chloe took the opportunity to slip away from Simon's vision, muttering a soft "Bye, Simon," under her breath.

"Bye, Chloe!" She was shocked to hear Simon's reply, since she had intended to slip away unnoticed. While Chloe smiled at him politely, the dark haired girl finally looked towards Chloe with a frown on her face, and the prickling at the back of Chloe's neck returned.

She felt familiar. The slant in her eyes, the curve of her cheekbones, and the elegant angles of her lips reminded Chloe of… something, but she couldn't remember what. She couldn't think about it, either, while the persistent pain kept hounding her. She must've been cringing, because the girl scoffed.

"Rude," She said.

Chloe looked down at her feet, her cheeks reddening. She didn't look back at Simon or his sister before she walked away, pushing past the large crowd of students at the cafeteria entryway. Whether or not she was going to find her next classroom was the least of her concerns.

AP Psychology was on the first floor, a few doors down from the cafeteria. Chloe slid in behind a group of students, and made her way towards the teacher.

The teacher was seated at her desk with a book in her hand. Her eyebrows were knit together in deep concentration, and she didn't notice Chloe until she spat out an "H-hi".

"Oh, hello," The teacher put her book down. She turned to Chloe before smiling widely. "How can I help you?"

"I am-m supposed to b-b-be in this class," Chloe said, "but I've mis-s-sed a few classes,"

"Then you must be Chloe," She reached out a hand to Chloe, "I'm Dr. Spurling,"

Chloe shook her hand, trying not to flinch at how cold Dr. Spurling's hand was. She smiled instead.

Dr. Spurling spent the first five minutes of class explaining the syllabus to Chloe while the other students settled down in their seats. Just like her other classes, the pile of work that Chloe had to make up for was death inducing. Unlike her other teachers, however, Dr. Spurling emphasized the fact that she understands Chloe's situation, and that she was willing to extend whatever deadline that Chloe needed. She then pointed Chloe to a seat in the back.

"Welcome to Psychology, Chloe," She smiled at her one more time.

Chloe felt herself breathe a sigh of relief. The class was adding to her ever growing workload, but Dr. Spurling's insistence that she take her time with this class was what set her heart at ease.

The feeling didn't last for long, however. When she turned around, her eyes instantly locked with

Simon's sister in the second row. She raised her eyebrows at Chloe and smirked. Chloe felt her heart drop as she walked down the row to her seat in the back.

Dr. Spurling started the class quickly, lecturing them on the function of the neuron and the different neurotransmitters that stimulate them. Chloe tried her best to scribble down the notes, occasionally looking up at Simon's sister. Whether it was accidental or purposeful she didn't know, but she didn't do much to stop herself.

The girl was calm. She looked unbothered, almost bored, as she occasionally moved her hand to scratch something down. Chloe was slightly surprised at her, since she found herself struggling to keep up Dr. Spurling's pace.

Chloe shook her head. She tried her best to finish writing down the last of Dr. Spurling's notes. When she stopped speaking to the class, Chloe thought that her own hand was on the verge of falling off.

While Chloe clenched and unclenched her fist – a vain attempt to ease some of the pain – Dr. Spurling talked to class about their project, and how they were expected to have completed their hypothesis by the upcoming Friday.

"And Chloe," Chloe snapped her head up when she heard her name. Dr. Spurling was looking at her.

"I want you to join a group to finish this project. You can choose whoever – "

Simon's sister's hand shot up in the air, stopping Dr. Spurling in her track. She attempted to keep talking to Chloe, but the girl cut her off.

"Chloe can do the project with Liz and me,"

Chloe felt her eyes widen. The hairs at the back of her neck stood on an end, and her heart started to beat faster.

"I think you should ask Chloe about that, Tori –" Dr. Spurling was unable to finish her sentence.

"She doesn't mind," Tori, as Chloe guessed, turned in her seat towards Chloe, "right, Chloe?"

She didn't know how to respond. Tori smiled at her, but her eyes were pushing daggers into her. Chloe didn't trust herself to speak up, so she swallowed and nodded her head.

"Well, alright," Dr. Spurling said, "Chloe, I'll explain the project to you after school. If you have any questions, I'm sure Tori and Liz will be more than happy to help."

"Of course we will," Tori wasn't looking at Chloe anymore, but she could still feel her angry eyes.

* * *

**OOh, what's going to happen next? Who knows? C'est une mystery hon hon hon **

**By the way guys, I changed my username. It's not DatingSite anymore. **

**Has anyone heard the new Adele song? I love it. You should listen to it. **

**I will be back (hopefully) next week with another chapter. Until then - don't do drugs, stay in school, and stay safe because I want my readers to be alive so they can read and review my shitty writing. **

**~ Groan of Anger **


	4. Scene Four

**Funny how it's only been a week since I last uploaded this story, but it feels like a lot of time went by. Say... like an entire month? Haha, but I'm not uploading this a month later. If I did that, that would mean that I broke a promise that I made to my supporters, and that sounds like a total jackass move, which I wouldn't do. haha. **

**Joking aside, and a serious moment - I am absolutely beating myself over the fact that I didn't upload this chapter sooner, but I have a very good excuse. Because I'm in my first year of uni, and I'm still kind of adjusting to the workload. I also hit a huge writer's block after finishing a bunch of term papers + essays, so it took me a little longer to get around to fixing this up so that I could publish it. Anyways, excuses aside: I just wanted to apologize to those who were expecting a chapter sooner. From now on, since I have a tighter schedule coming up, I'll try to upload once a month at the very least. Also, I really like to interact with the awesome people who are reviewing and encouraging me to keep writing, so I'll respond to my anonymous reviewers in my intro author notes :). **

_kailey: I love it so far! I like the detail in your writing. I can't wait to find out what happens next! Please keep updating! I hate it when I find a really good fanfic and the author stops writing right at a cliffhanger :(_

**DW KAILEY I WON'T LET YOU DOWN I'M GONNA FINISH THIS EVEN IF IT MEANS DYING **

**And now, without farther adieu, let's get started on this episod- ur, chapter - of FE.**

* * *

Chloe spent half an hour more with Dr. Spurling as the latter explained the project in depth to her. It involved "research, not experimentation", as Dr. Spurling emphasized to her more than once. Tori and Chloe's other partner had already picked a topic for their group, and she would have to contact them to get updated on their progress.

By the time that she stepped out of the classroom, the hallways were empty. Chloe was able to find her locker easily without the shoving and pushing from students, and when she reached it, Chloe took a moment to rest her forehead against the cold metal.

She would be busy tonight. She needed to finish an essay by Friday, another by Thursday, and there was an anatomy test that she had on Wednesday. Chloe could feel herself grow more and more tired as they day dragged on.

She shoved her books into her bag. Milos was probably waiting outside, and that was the only thing that somewhat comforted Chloe. She would be home within a half hour or so, where she could get food, go to bed if she wanted, watch a movie – anything that would not be school related. She zipped her bag up and sighed, comforted by the idea of home.

Her bag was on her shoulders when Chloe felt it – the chill that ran quickly through her veins. There was a tingling at the back of her neck, but the shooting pains were not present. Chloe shrugged it off, walking forward towards the exit.

The needles started pricking a few steps later, and Chloe flinched. She stopped in her path. Behind her, she could hear the loud voices that she only faintly remembered. She didn't pay too much attention to it, trying to rub away the pain at the back of her head and neck. When the pain didn't subside, Chloe started to walk forward again. She would have to talk to Aunt Lauren –

"Chloe!" She stopped in her path and looked back. When she saw Tori and another girl walking towards her, Chloe wanted to run as far from them as possible. What did they want? Why were they talking to her? Her entire body had succumbed to the cold, and she was frozen at her spot.

"Do you know how long we've been looking for you?" Tori rolled her eyes at Chloe. "Gosh, why didn't you wait for us after class?"

"I –"

"Nevermind," Tori cut her off, "let's go,"

"G-go whe-r-r-e?"

Tori narrowed her eyes at Chloe. "Do you do that on purpose?"

"D-do what?" Chloe felt herself grow colder than before. She knew exactly what Tori was referring to.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter," Tori said. "We're going to my house. You know, to work on the project?"

Of course; that's what they wanted from her. Chloe tried to regulate her breathing, just growing conscious of the fact that she'd been holding in her breath. She muttered something about letting her driver know that she was leaving. Tori was about to comment, but the girl beside her interjected.

"Yeah, go ahead, we'll be waiting in the parking lot,"

Chloe thanked her, and left the school to go find Milos.

SCENE FOUR, ACT ONE: HEROINE captured by UNDEADS.

_(TFE)_

The red bricks of Tori's house looked perfectly at harmony with the yellow, red, and orange of the falling leaves that framed it. Tori led the three up a flight of wet, concrete stairs, complaining loudly about their groundskeeper not keeping the house in proper condition and getting rid of the leaves. Chloe looked on at the house – a medium sized family residence with a small front yard. It was a mystery as to why they would have a groundskeeper for such a small area.

She didn't bother to ask Tori. For now, she thought it best to not anger her and keep her head on her neck.

Tori opened the heavy wooden doors to a sparkling house. The white marble floors and stairs were polished to the point of reflection. The walls – white – were decorated with large paintings and smaller family portraits here and there. The foyer where they stood led directly to a set of stairs, and provided left and right halls for other accesses to the house.

Tori and the other girl started to take off their shoes, and Chloe followed. Her hands were shaking. Something in her stomach was churning, and she wanted to vomit. She couldn't put her finger on a specific culprit, and put the blame on a possible bug; maybe even her concussion.

She followed her two partners up the stairs quietly, the other two too engrossed in their own conversation to pay attention to her reserved attitude. Chloe was grateful for that. She worked on deep breaths in hopes that they would ease her queasy stomach.

However, Chloe's head began to spin as soon as she stepped onto the upper floor. She blinked a few times in an attempt to fix her blurry vision. She caught a glimpse of the many forks in the hallway that led to other locations before she closed her eyes and leaned against the railing. Her head felt light, and the nausea began to intensify.

"Are you OK, Chloe?" Her blonde partner asked. Chloe glimpsed at her through slit eyes. She realized than that she didn't even know the girl's name.

"Yeah, I'm just…" Chloe tried to grasp at the right word, but it slipped her mind. Instead, she put all her weight onto the railing and tried to breathe through her mouth. She grew more lightheaded.

"Let's get her to your room," She felt the blonde girl's bony shoulders under her arms and she leaned onto them. Chloe tried to help the other girl drag her to Tori's room. She was able to walk, but very weakly. Tori's annoyed ranting didn't help the situation.

"I swear if you pass out at my house," she said, "I am throwing you out."

Chloe tried to ignore it, but Tori was loud and persistent. Every word hit like a nail being dug into her brain.

Finally, Chloe felt the softness of something under her. Everything in the next few minutes were a blur – someone passing her water that tasted burned her tongue; Tori was muttering under her breath the entire time. She shut her eyes for a few seconds, and then woke up to a heavier head. A metallic taste stung at the back of her throat, but she didn't feel as dizzy as she had done before. She started to feel herself coming to her senses.

"OK, you're better. Now get off of my bed,"

Chloe rolled over and slipped off of the bed. As she stood up, she felt disoriented for a second, but regained her footing soon enough to avoid falling over. Her blonde partner was there, holding out a protective hand just in case she did fall over.

Chloe's eyes adjusted to the room slowly. Violet walls and picture frames. A table with three computer screens on it. A few chairs. A bed. Her own feet. She walked carefully over to a chair and plopped down, focusing on her sweaty, sock clad feet in an effort to calm herself down.

She was fine after a while. Tori had wasted no time in waiting for her to recover before jumping into the project, but the blonde girl objected.

"Oh my gosh Liz," Tori replied, "she'll be fine. Chloe's a big girl, right Chloe?"

Chloe managed to nod in response.

Her blonde partner – Liz, Chloe assumed – leaned over and explained their topic to her. They were doing a research project on ethical practices in psychology, and were focusing particularly in the treatment of asylum patients in the nineteenth century.

Liz and Tori did most of the talking. Chloe sat there staring at them, trying to keep up with their lingos and their references. Eventually, she just brought out her notebook and started to write down things that they had mentioned in hopes that she would have time to look up the information once she was home that evening. Liz did her best to lean over to Chloe and explain the topics, but Chloe was still lost beyond belief.

She sighed when the two finally stopped talking and a hush fell over the room. Tori started to talk about the next meetup date – Thursday at her house after school, again. Chloe took this as a hint to start packing up and shoved her notebook into her bag.

"You're not leaving already, are you?" Liz asked Chloe, and Tori quickly cut in.

"Yes she is," Tori said, "I don't want her to puke in my room,"

Chloe stared at Tori, and she felt the soft bubbling of blood under her skin. How could a person dislike another so much that they would keep poking at them over and over again? Why would Tori even invite Chloe to be a partner in the project if she didn't like her? Were they in such a dire need for a punching bag?

Chloe opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. She called Milos and gave him the address to Tori's house. It would take him fifteen minutes to get to the location, and Chloe was forced to sit with Liz and Tori for that remaining time.

Halfway through the conversation that Tori was having with Liz, she fixed her gaze on Chloe. The girl felt her blood boiling again, and the prickling at the back of her neck started again.

"You know, since we're talking about mental asylums," Tori said, "it's only suiting that we have an asylum patient in our group."

Chloe felt her heart drop to her stomach. Tori… she couldn't have known, could she? Perhaps Liz, or Tori herself, was a part of a mental institution, and that was the reference? Or, hopefully, this was just another means by which Tori was trying to degrade Chloe.

"Tori, what the hell is this about?" Liz's eyes were wide, but Chloe barely had a chance to look at her. She was glaring down at the carpet underneath her foot, which had suddenly began shift in front of her. She stood up slowly, bringing her bag up with her.

Tori wouldn't know. Not unless she went digging thorough Chloe's records, which seemed like something Tori would not be too concerned with. The mention of asylums was probably nothing more than Tori being Tori – a cold hearted bitch that Chloe didn't like, she decided.

Chloe shook her head slightly when she began to feel a churning in her stomach. It was not a coordinated move, and it did little to ease her bowels. She held onto the handle of the chair to steady herself as blood rushed to her head swiftly.

She was feeling so dizzy that she almost missed Tori's comment. _Almost_.

"Chl_oe_," Tori emphasized the last portion of Chloe's name. Her voice vibrated against the Chloe's cranium and knocked on her skull, making her nausea resurface. She could taste the acidic-metallic taste at the back of her tongue, and she wanted to storm out of the house.

"Tell me – when you go to an asylum, do they tie you up right away, or do they wait until you start talking about ghosts?"

Chloe slowly lifted her head to look at Tori, who was gazing over her nails in a nonchalant manner. A chill thrill was running slowly through her veins; her cheeks were burning. She continued to stare at Tori, trying to formulate an answer.

They never tied Chloe up, and there were no speaks of ever tying anyone up. That portion Tori drew up by herself, but the ghost was relevant. How did she -?

Tori looked up at Chloe with an unbothered lift of her eyebrow. Chloe felt her body shift back and forth, shaking slightly. A pain was starting to bloom at her temple.

"Or, wait, do you not remember because they drugged you up too – "

"Tori, _stop_," Liz sounded livid and Chloe was already out the room. How did she know? How did she find out? She never wanted to see Tori again. She never wanted to talk to her again. Her stomach was twisting and turning; her tears were running free on her face.

She was looking down, and didn't notice the person who was standing directly in front of her. Simon grabbed her by the shoulder and prevented the two of them colliding. Chloe jumped in surprise.

"Whoa, Chloe?" Simon stepped up from the stair, putting the two on eye level. Chloe felt the stinging at the back of her neck grow more painful. "What are you doing here– "

Chloe bent down and emptied her bowel on the shiny material of the stairs, and a little over Simon's shoes. In the background, she heard Tori complaining about how that could've been her room.

_(TFE)_

Chloe flunked the anatomy test. She stayed up all night to finish a mediocre essay for Thursday. She couldn't finish her Friday essay on time, so she handed it in late for a deduced mark on Monday.

Tori and Liz were still at large in her mind, but they were no longer an issue. She had spoken to Dr. Spurling, who was kind enough to let Chloe change groups without excruciating questioning. She was now put in with two other girls finishing up their project on the stigma of mental disorder. Chloe only had to chip in one word during their after school library session one day, and that word was "the".

Chloe hadn't seen Simon around, but she wouldn't be shocked if he never wanted to speak to her again. The look of horror in his eyes when Chloe looked up from the floor was more than enough for her to know that she was no longer welcome in the house. At least they were kind enough not to kick her out as soon as possible, and let her wait before Milos picked her up.

She avoided eye contact with Tori and Liz the entire duration of Psychology. She could feel Tori occasionally looking back and glaring at her, but she refused to acknowledge the gaze. She felt her cheeks burning as her face flushed.

One more day to go, Chloe thought, shoving the remainder of her notebooks into her bag. It would be Friday tomorrow, and then it would be the weekend. Chloe wouldn't have to think about Andrew Cotton Academy and its hellish residents for an entire two days – a thought that made her stomach quiver with joy. She just needed to go the one remaining day undetected by Tori and her group.

Chloe slammed the locker door shut and moved towards the foyer to wait for Milos. Her shoulders were burning from her the burden of her fat bag (her teachers all insisted that the thousand page textbooks would be great help to Chloe, and that she should read all of them as soon as possible). She trudged on.

She always passed a door that had a STAFF ONLY sign nailed to the façade of it. It wasn't something that caught her attention, with a boring exterior of dark wood. It blended into the background when students stormed past each other, and Chloe never noticed it in heavy crowds. She thought for sure that it was a staff room or something of that sort before she saw a boy, dressed in a school uniform, slip through the door.

Chloe stopped shortly. The door was unopened, and the boy never reached for the handle. A chill went down her spine. No, no – she imagined it. There was nothing there. It was just school wearing her out. She just needed to go home, and –

The boy's head peaked out of the door so that only his head was visible, his body on the other side. Chloe stepped back with a squeal, almost screaming.

_You will be here until you get better. _

The voice rang in her head, and she clamped her mouth shut. She thought she was getting better, she thought that she wouldn't need to increase her dosage, but she was obviously wrong. Chloe felt the metallic taste in her mouth, and she wanted to vomit.

"Wait, can you see me?" The boy asked. His blue eyes burrowed into her face, and it woke her up suddenly. She shook her head, and moved towards the opposite direction towards the school entryway to leave.

"Wait, no," The boy continued, "Wait!"

Chloe felt something cold brush against her arm, and she jumped back. The boy stood behind her now, and she had to look up to make eye contact with him. He had black hair that was slicked back. His jawline was sharp, his nose was straight and narrow. He had wide shoulders, large biceps, and large hands.

She stood back, staring at him in awe. It was Brady – one of the other residents of the Lyle House. They let him leave on the premise that his behavior was improving, and that he would be better able to handle his anger in public from now on.

"Wha –"

"Chloe?" Brady said, "Oh, God, they put you in here too?"

"T-t-t-his i-isn't r-r-real," Chloe whispered, "_You_ aren't r-r-eal,"

"I would love to stand around and discuss that, but I think I need to show you something," Brady reached to grab Chloe's arm, but his fingers slipped through her flesh.

"N-n-n-no," Chloe whispered again, "I'm le-a-aving,"

"Chloe I know you're freaked out," Brady continued, "but just give me a sec, OK? I really think you're in dang-"

"I'm l-l-leaving," Chloe turned around and walked towards the door.

"They might kill you," She heard his voice from behind her. What he said made her turn around, and fix him with a gaze.

"Just let me show you something, OK?"

Chloe didn't know why, but she followed Brady – or her hallucination – towards the door. Brady slipped through easily. Chloe turned the door knob a few times, but she couldn't get it to open.

"B-B-Brady," she called, "it's l-l-locked,"

She didn't get a response. She waited a few more seconds, and then the heat rose to her face. He wasn't real, and he wasn't there. And she had spent the last five minutes talking to herself and to thin air.

Chloe let go of the knob and stepped back, bumping into someone. The back of her neck started to throb instantly, and she didn't need to look back to know who it was.

"Who's Brady?" Tori asked.

* * *

**Leave a review with all the typos and grammar mistakes that you've found, and I'll cry for you. **

**Kidding. Let me know if you like it, if you hate it, things you'd like for me to change - anything. Hope y'all had a good Christmas, and an early Happy New Year to everyone! **

**~ GoA **


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